Door-operating mechanism.



H. ROWNTREE. DUOR OPERATING MIEGHANISM.

y APBLIUATION FILED APR.22, 1909. 1,001,989.

Patented Aug. 29, .1911.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE,

HAROLD ROWNTREE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO NATIONAL PNEUMATIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

Doon-OPERATING niEoHANIsM.

Patented Aug. `29, 191,1.

` Application filed April 22, 17909. .a Serial No. 491,518.

To all whom 11i concern:

Be it known that I, lIAnoLo RoWN'rneE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, count-y of Cook, and State of Illinois, vhave `made a certain new and useful Invention in Door Operating Mechanism, ot which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to door operating mechanism and particularly to mechanism operated by fluid pressure, as, for instance,

conipresL-"ed air.

The object` of the invention is to provide means which are simple and inexpensive for operating-doors Imculnatically, and wherein reflicicnt',control of the operating mechanism is secured and maintained.

A. further object is to provide pneumatic door operating means employing associated operating cylinders -and pistons and Where @in the operating pressure is applied to equal piston areas Whether the door isv moved in one direction or the other. y

A further object of the invention is to provide a pneumatic door operatinor mecha ni'sm employing associated cylinders and pistons and wherein cach piston is exposed to the atmospheric pressure on vone side, and the entire piston area on the other side is exposed to the operating medium When such `medium is admitted to the cylinder for operating the door.

A. further olincet is to provide a construction employing connected pistons with means for controlling the supply and exlSor artso erated ythem. A

ther o jects of the lnvention will appear more fully hereinafter. f,

The invention-consists substantially in the construction', combination, location and rela.-

tt tive arrangement of parts, all as will` be more fully `hereinafter set forth, as4 shown in the accompanying drawingy and 'finally pointedl out in the appended claims.

"Referring to the accompanying drawing,

Ifha-ust ot' the operating medium to and from as assoand to the various views and reference signs appearing thereon Figure 1 is a view in ele-` vatlon of a door operating mechanism embodying the principles of my invention, t

parts being in section. Figs. 2', 3 and 4 are diagrammatic views illustrating the action of the `pressure controlling and also the cushioning or speed regulating devices. y

In the operation of doors or other closures, and particularly doors employed in lstreet or other cars, by pressure operated devices, it is desirable that the pressure medium employed to operate the door should be applied to Aequal piston areas for operating the door in either direction so as to secure uniform action. It is also desirable to avoid the friction of piston rods working through stuffing boxes as well as the necessity of providingv piston rod packino which, in practice, rapidly wears vout by abeing eut by dirt or other accumulation on the piston rod, thereby causing an undesirable and objectionable leakage.

In order to obtain these desir.

able objects I propose toemploy a double cylinder arrangement, each cylinder being closed at one end and freely open to the atmosphere at the other end, with a piston operating in each cylinder, the pistons being together to operate in unison connecte through the open ends of the cylinders. The

voperating medium is supplied to andexhausted from each cylinder only at the closed end thereof, and operates on only one face of each pist-on, the opposite face being exposed to the atmosphere through the open end of the c linder 1n" which it works. In this manner not onl `the piston rods Welling through stuliing boxes, and the attendant objections above noted, but I also am enabled to secure equal piston areas for thefopcrating medium to work against in moving the door .in either drection,.and I' also secure an effective application ofthe pressure mediun-to the-entire area of each piston. t. By this arrangement I am alsoenabled to attach the door operatn' 4or movin connections at a point interme late the cy lndcrs instead of at the end of a-piston rod as heretofore has been the case, thereby securin a steadier and smoother operation'of the oor. I also propose to associate with the piston mechanism, and in such manner as to asy avoid the friction of loo e operated there-V l by, means for regulating and controlling the piston movements and thereby cushionin such movements and. controlling the spee thereof.

In the drawing A designates a door or other device to bemoved, and B, an operating or moving arm having suitable connec-A tion to the door whereby when said arm is rocked the door is moved. I have shown a sin le form of connection between the door an operatin arm Which'weli answers the purposes, an vwherein the free end of the operating arm is pivotally connected to a slide C, operating along a rod D, secured to the door. Of course any other convenient form of connection may be employed, and therefore my invention, as defined in the claims, is not to be limited or restricted in this regard. The operating arm is connected to or formed with a segment gear 6, arranged to mesh with and to be rotatively moved by a lrack 7. The arm B, or the segment gear 6,.is pivotally supported u on a stud 8, mounted upon a bracket or fixe support 9. The rack 7, forms a connection between the pistons 10, 11, respectively operating in cylinders 12, 13. In the particular form shown Vthese cylinders are in line withr each other ythough this is not essential. One end of each cylinder is open yto the' atmosphere while the other end is closed and means are provided for supplying an operating medium to the" closed end ofrthe cylinders. Where the cylinders are arranged in line With each other their proximate ends are open to the atmosphere and their remote ends are closed. In this manner each pistonI is open on-one side to the atmosphere and on the other side to the operating medium when such medium is `admitted to the cylinder in which such piston operates.

Reference` sign E, designates a casing in which is located the valve mechanism for c 'itrollin the supply and exhaust of operating me ium to and from the cylinders. In Figs. 2, 3 and 4 I have illustrated dia- 'grammatically tha'rrangement' and operation of the valve inthe valve casing and the ports controlled thereby. The valvelfi, is in the form of a segmental disk 'and operates over a surface or seat 15, in which .are the--` .v operating medium supply port 16, the ports 17 andr18, respectively .communicating with -one end-in this case the remote ends-of the cylinders 12, 13, andthe exhaust. port or ports 19, 20. On its under surface the valve 14, 1s provided with a' trecess or chamber' within the casing, inthe embodiment of my` invention shown, by means of a stem l24, which extends through the top of the' casing E, and which may be rocked in any suitable vlor convenient`manner, from any con' venient point, as, for instance, by means of a hand lever 25, and conveniently arranged ntermediate connections 26.

While I have shown anddescribed a specitic forni of valve construction and operating mechanism therefor, -my invention, as defined in the claims,` is not to be limited or restricted to the particular form shown and described, as many other specifically differeht constructions 'and arrangements may well answer the .same purposes, Without departure from the vention. e

In the particular form shown, and reerring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the valve 1s in position to open the supply ort 16, to the port 18, while the ports 17 an 19 and 20, 'are fully open to each other. Under this arran ement the operatin medium is being su'pp ied to the closed en of cylinder 13, while the 'closed end of cylinder 12 is freely open to exhaust.

In Fig. 3 the valve is in position to open ports. 16 and 17, to each other, and to open port 18 to the ports 19 and 20, thereby admitting the operating medium to the closed end of cylinder 12, and opening the closed end of cylinder 13 to exhaust. -v

It is desirable to lating and control ng the movements of the operating pistons 10,' 11, to the end that the door maybe brought gently to the limit of its movement in either direction, thereby avoiding undue slam or jar. To' accomplish this result I employ means actuatedby the pistons, or by parts operated, or eifecting such control. This idea may bev embodied in a wide variety of means. In the form shown I provide for an auxiliary reverse movement of the valve as the door lapspirit and scope of my inprovide means for reguproaches .the limit of its movement in either direction, such auxiliary reverse movement being of suicient extent to cause the narrow part-23 of therecess in the face of the valve to bel brought over the exhaust ports 19, 20, thereby closing exhaust 1 19, but leaving exhaust .port 20 uncovered. At the same time the port which supplies pressure to the operatin side-of the connected pistons remains fu ly open.

'Ihe exhaust ports 19, 20 are of different sizes, the port 19, beingthe larger, so that auxiliary reverse movement vof Ithe valve may be efected from a moving part'of the door operatingmechanism in any suitable or convenient manner. I have shown a simpleA arrangement wherein a camV 30, is arranged to move with the segment gear lo,

when said port is closed the exhaust` is re- Y connected by arlink 32, or other connection,

to the .valve stem 24.

In its broadest scope my invention, as

Vdefined in the .claiins, is not'to be limited or `'restricted to the means employed to se cure the speed regulation of the door move `ments, the only essential being that .the speed of the door movements is regulated by means operated from or; by the doorv moving n'lechanisn'l.v i A Having no".r set forth the 'object andA na- -ture of my invention `anda y construction `principles thereof, what I into position to open the motor on one side to full su ply of pressure, and on theother side to fu 1 exhaust, to initiate the operation ol the motor, a pivotally mounted rocking member connected to the valve, a cam operated by the motor and arranged to engage -said member to rock the same infreverse direction to that of its initial movement, to shift the valve into position to re i duce the exhaust area. to a. constztntprede-- terminedarea Without substantially affectuseful and of my own' in.

a pneumatic opy ing the pressure supply to the motor, as

the motor approaches the limit: of, its acytion, and devicesoperated by the motor for moving the movable element.

2. The combination in a pneumatic op-l erating mechanism for doors or other dcvces,lof an `element to be moved, a motor, an arm connected to movableclement and arral'iged to be actuated by the motor, said arm having a cam, a pivotally mounted yoke arranged to engage the cam and to be rocked thereby, a valve to which said yoke is con` nected, said valve arranged to control the sup ily' of pressure medium to and its exhaust `from the motor, and `devices. inde endent of the-yoke for shifting the valve into position to open the motor on one side to full supply of pressure ah'd on the other side to full exhaust to initiate the operation of the motor, said cam operating to reversely move the valve into posztion to reduce lthe area of `exhaust o eninv from the motor without Substantial a, eeting the pressure supply to the motor, Las the motor approaches the limit of its stroke.

In testimony whereof I huye hereunto set my hand in the presence of the subscribing Witnesses, on thislQth day of April A. D.,`

HROLD ROWNTREE.

Witnesses :v f

MARTIN, L. M. Smnnns. Y

yso 

